My Favorite Movies of 2010
I don't get the chance to see EVERY movie that comes out, and there's still a LOT that I want to see (I might change the list if I see something that merits a spot in the top 10). But for right now, here are the 10 best movies I got the chance to see this year!
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- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJoseph Gordon-LevittElliot PageA thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.Like it was going to be anything else! This is not only my favorite movie of the year, but also one of my top 10 favorites of all-time! Brilliant on every level: story, acting, visuals, etc. Christopher Nolan has made his masterpiece; this cements his status as one of the best new directors in Hollywood. I'll quote myself and say what I tell most of my friends: Some movies get better each time you watch them. INCEPTION gets better each time you think about it.
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsNatalie PortmanMila KunisVincent CasselNina is a talented but unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her artistic director and a seductive rival, Nina's grip on reality slips, plunging her into a waking nightmare.Hauntingly twisted and gripping. This is a terrific psychological tale on the dark side of perfectionism with a first-rate cast. Natalie Portman definitely gets my vote for every Best Actress award she can get, creating a a character that earns both the audience's sympathy and terror. The direction of Darren Aronofsky mixed with Matthew Libatique's cinematography creates a visual style that is both beautiful and disturbing, and this highlight of the year will stick with you long after you see it.
- DirectorDavid O. RussellStarsMark WahlbergChristian BaleAmy AdamsBased on the story of Micky Ward, a fledgling boxer who tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled older boxing brother and get his own shot at greatness."I was incredibly surprised by how much I loved this one! Seeing the trailers made me worry I was about to watch INVINCIBLE with boxing (the fact that it wasn't was probably why my brothers and uncles didn't like it as much as me), but what I got instead was great character-driven drama, with a strong-well developed cast of characters. It's the same way I felt about FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS; a sports movie not just about the games (or in this case, matches) that are won, but about the pressures and struggles outside of the sport. In this case, we see Mark Wahlberg's Mickey Ward struggle between the loyalty to his destructive, suffocating family, and what his heart knows he really wants. Plus, Christian Bale is in the same boat as Ms. Portman; if he doesn't win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, there's no justice.
- DirectorEdgar WrightStarsMichael CeraMary Elizabeth WinsteadKieran CulkinIn a magically realistic version of Toronto, a young man must defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil exes one by one in order to win her heart.The biggest box office tragedy this year was the underperformance of this gem. Much like Nolan did with INCEPTION, this is Edgar Wright's CITIZEN KANE; a movie that perfectly defines the style of its director at the top of his game. Perfect ADD viewing, with crazy visuals and spot-on geek references. Best of all, though, is the story; taking the mundane-yet-overdramatic world of relationships among 20-somethings and taking them to the ultimate extreme without losing its heart. And for those of you who complain about Michael Cera playing the same character, it works; I give you his best performance since NICK AND NORA'S INFINITE PLAYLIST!
- DirectorTom HooperStarsColin FirthGeoffrey RushHelena Bonham CarterThe story of King George VI, his unexpected ascension to the throne of the British Empire in 1936, and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch overcome his stammer.SUMMARY OF MY OPINION COMING SOON.
ADDED TO THE LIST 1/7/11 - DirectorDanny BoyleStarsJames FrancoAmber TamblynKate MaraA mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.ADDED TO THE LIST 3/14/11
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsJesse EisenbergAndrew GarfieldJustin TimberlakeAs Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, he is sued by the twins who claimed he stole their idea and by the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.SUMMARY OF MY OPINION COMING SOON!
ADDED TO THE LIST 2/17/11 - DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioEmily MortimerMark RuffaloTeddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US marshals, are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, where Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place.The most un-Scorsese movie Martin Scorsese has made. A great mystery with great pyscological depth; even those who saw the ending coming didn't see all the twists and turns it would take to get there. Chilling visuals and a manic overall style add to the tension as you eagerly sit at the edge of your seat.
- DirectorWill GluckStarsEmma StoneAmanda BynesPenn BadgleyWhen Olive lies to her best friend about losing her virginity to one of the college boys, a girl overhears their conversation. Soon, her story spreads across the entire school like wildfire.Two words: Emma Stone. I will now see this girl in anything. I had always enjoyed her past performances in SUPERBAD, THE ROCKER, and ZOMBIELAND, but her performance here shows how much of a star she can really be. While it is her performance that drives this movie, it's also the supporting cast and the poignant and hilarious screenplay that makes things really enjoyable. This is one of the best teen movies in years, one with just as much heart as laughs. And that's it......fine, and Emma Stone's insanely hot. There! Happy?
- DirectorJohn Cameron MitchellStarsNicole KidmanAaron EckhartDianne WiestLife for a happy couple is turned upside down after their young son dies in an accident.
- DirectorRodrigo CortésStarsRyan ReynoldsJosé Luis García-PérezRobert PatersonPaul is a U.S. truck driver working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap.
- DirectorLee UnkrichStarsTom HanksTim AllenJoan CusackThe toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.While not quite the best of the TOY STORY movies (that title goes to TOY STORY 2), this is the one with the biggest emotional punch. A great way to send off the franchise, showing that it has grown up with the audience that's been with it since 1995. And that's what the story is essentially about; growing up and moving on, knowing when one stage of life is over and finding what your purpose is in the next stage. This also had not one, but TWO of Pixar's signature "moments;" y'know, the ones that make you feel like you're watching a great movie and forget that it's animated. They're getting good at those.
- DirectorDean DeBloisChris SandersStarsJay BaruchelGerard ButlerChristopher Mintz-PlasseA hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.HONORABLE MENTION
- DirectorBen AffleckStarsBen AffleckRebecca HallJon HammA proficient group of thieves rob a bank and hold an assistant manager hostage. Things begin to get complicated when one of the crew members falls in love with her.
- DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsJeff BridgesMatt DamonHailee SteinfeldA stubborn teenager enlists the help of a tough U.S. Marshal to track down her father's murderer.HONORABLE MENTION
- DirectorJoseph KosinskiStarsJeff BridgesGarrett HedlundOlivia WildeThe son of a virtual world designer goes looking for his father and ends up inside the digital world that his father designed. He meets his father's corrupted creation and a unique ally who was born inside the digital world.HONORABLE MENTION
- DirectorJay RoachStarsSteve CarellPaul RuddStephanie SzostakAfter he finds out that his work superiors host a dinner celebrating the idiocy of their special guests, a rising executive questions the merits of his invitation just as he befriends a man who would be the perfect guest.HONORABLE MENTION
- DirectorMatt ReevesStarsKodi Smit-McPheeChloë Grace MoretzRichard JenkinsA bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian.HONORABLE MENTION
- DirectorDavid YatesStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintAs Harry, Ron and Hermione race against time and evil to destroy the Horcruxes, they uncover the existence of the three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows.HONORABLE MENTION
- DirectorTom McGrathStarsWill FerrellJonah HillBrad PittEvil genius Megamind finally defeats his do-gooder nemesis, Metro Man, but is left without a purpose in a superhero-free world.
- DirectorDebra GranikStarsJennifer LawrenceJohn HawkesGarret DillahuntAn unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her drug-dealing father while trying to keep her family intact.
- DirectorNathan GrenoByron HowardStarsMandy MooreZachary LeviDonna MurphyThe magically long-haired Rapunzel has spent her entire life in a tower, but now that a runaway thief has stumbled upon her, she is about to discover the world for the first time, and who she really is.
- DirectorHarald ZwartStarsJackie ChanJaden SmithTaraji P. HensonWork causes a single mother to move to China with her young son; in his new home, the boy embraces kung fu, taught to him by a master.
- DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsBenicio Del ToroAnthony HopkinsEmily BluntUpon his return to his ancestral homeland, an American man is bitten and subsequently cursed by a werewolf.
- DirectorAdam McKayStarsWill FerrellMark WahlbergDerek JeterTwo mismatched New York City detectives seize an opportunity to step up like the city's top cops, whom they idolize, only things don't quite go as planned.HONORABLE MENTION